Eyes of a different Shade
by Nyx Crepsley
Summary: A young girl named Crearwy (K-rE-ah-Y) La Fay living in secret in Yamato and she will do anything to keep her identity to herself. She is a runaway unwilling bride. Now she finds herself on The Sirius. Now she not only has to prove herself worthy of being on the ship but also face the man who wants her for his own against her will.


Eyes of a different shade

**Prologue background:**

A young girl named Crearwy (K-rE-ah-Y) La Fay living in secret in Yamato and she will do anything to keep her identity to herself. Even go as far as wearing an eye patch, baggy clothes stuffed with cloth and straw, dark chalk to hide her skin tone and awful itchy blond wig to cover up her tell-tale features, her one jade green eye, lovely pail skin and her ebony hair… Why cover up such features? Because she is a runaway bride to a man she does not love and does NOT want to marry. He is looking for her and will not stop until he finds her. So she must hide everything that makes her stand out in order to remain free from his clutches. This place and way of life have become normal for her; she even has a job and room in the bar she works at, thanks to the generosity of its owner.

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**Prologue:**

Crearwy or Rea as the bar keeps and townsfolk call her is busy cleaning the bar to perfection. To anyone she is a rather ugly young woman who is rumored to have had a hard life. Her eye is gone, her skin is dark and chalky, said to hide her scars, her body is nothing like any young woman's it looks weathered and worn just as her clothes are. The place is quiet when, all of a sudden, she hears some people knock on the door.

"Open up! Gimme some booze!"

The problem is that the bar isn't open yet! Basically, she is alone in the bar and that spells danger…

Crearwy palms the pistol hidden in her pocket. She long since taught herself how to shoot and fight a bit. Just in case she was ever found. But she'd been careful and very lucky… "Sorry. We're not open yet…" She croaks out in her false voice.

"I WANNA GET DRUNK!"

"You'll have to wait until we are open!" She tells them once again that the bar is not open until late afternoon, but when men want to drink, they got to drink. The men kick in the door and Crearwy tenses in fear… She knows what these men are bounty hunters… specifically the man she was arraigned to marry sent out to get her before… but they're drunk already… at least they won't recognize her… hopefully.

"Ah, ya ugly bar maid…. Maybe we can still have fun with ya… if we cover up that face…" the men say as they pull out a knife and put it against her cheek. Crearwy grabs her pistol but before she can draw it….

BANG! ((– A gunshot))

"Stop flirting with a hag. It's embarrassing" A stranger stood at the door way with a smoking pistol and an eye patch similar to her's. (Eduardo) "You go for a scrawny hag like this?"

Crearwy scowled, she was far from a hag but it was the best disguise she'd come up with. 'Hag… Just keep telling yourself that… your lucky your saving me right now or I'd shoot you too..' She thought venomously. Another man steps out from behind him brandishing two swords (Russell).

"Who knows, maybe they're too ugly themselves to try for any better…"

"You…You…You are Sirius…" One of the men took the knife away and pointed it at the strange men.

Crearwy sees her chance and kicks the man still facing her in the crotch and runs for her life, dodging the two in the door way as the fight breaks out. Crearwy ran until she could not breathe well enough to do so anymore… "There she is… little bitch!"

"Shit…" She muttered and bolted off once more as some of the men from the bar found her. She knew the streets well and took every twist and turn that she could and wound up by the docks… She had to hide… an open barrel provided a good hiding spot, jumping in it and covering up with the lid she stays silent until she hears them walk away. She is safe... Or she was, until someone banged in to the barrel moving it and causing her to hit her head and lose consciousness.

Aboard a ship called the Sirius a young boy named Thomas comes to pick up some booze for his crew mate Nathan, but as he opens the barrel he finds an unconscious woman inside...

He yells in surprise and his crew mate runs to his aid. Nathan appears to be just as surprised but the woman is bleeding slightly from the head and needs medical attention. He picks the girl up and carries her to the doctor's office. The doctor is called Christopher.

"Oh, this's an unusually pretty patient," Nathan and Thomas look at Christopher as if he is crazy.

"Pretty? She's an old hag…"

Christopher shook his head. "No she's not… it's all make-up and a disguise…. This girl really didn't want to be recognized." The doctor gestures towards the wig, straw, cloth, and additional layers of clothes that lay in a heap as he washes away the chalk on her face neck and hands. Under it all, the girl is young, dark haired, pail skinned, slim… and beautiful… very much so. She was asleep at the moment, scowling and a pistol held tightly in her hands.

Christopher moves to remove the eye patch… when her other eye flutters and quickly flicks open.

The girl jumps to attention and points the gun at the three strangers in a panic… The men took a few steps back and tried to speak to her but she couldn't focus on their words…

Her heart thundered and she panted with every breath she took as if she couldn't get enough air… her one uncovered eye was glued to the three men and was fierce even as her body and hand shook with fear. Where was she…? And who were these men… That was her last thought before the room swam once more and her world went black.

"We have to tell the Captain… and I think we should leave the eye patch alone…"

Christopher spoke softly as he rushed to take the pistol and to make sure the girl hadn't hurt herself even more.

Nathan and Thomas nodded spooked and bolted up to the deck to get the Captain.

**(( A/N: Now on to the story. Sorry my prologue sucked... it is not my forte nor did I have a lot to work with.))**

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Crearwy woke, if only half way, in a bed; her hand went up to check to see if her eye patch was still in place. Thankfully it was…. The ship creaked softly, she could heard the waves brush lightly against the hull, like some long forgotten lullaby and there was a pleasant warmth behind her… it smelled of wine and rum, a man's soap and sea salt... It made her smile as fond memories came to mind... she instinctively buried herself in to it and drifted back to sleep.

Captain Morgan woke in a slight daze to the tiny sounds of fright, soft whimpers paired fearful moans and a softer, smaller warm body clinging to his own tightly and shaking in some unseen fear. He opened his eyes fully and looked down to see his bare chest a young girl in his bed...

'OH, NO I DID NOT…' Morgan thought in a panic and quickly checked under the sheets… He was still dressed and so was she, ok… well; at least he hadn't done THAT… He sighed in relief and rubbed his eyes with one hand as he focused on the scene. She was young… very young, but very pretty. He moved some of her hair out of her face and she jerked, snarling something in another language and turned to her other side. He smirked, feisty even in sleep. He liked that. Slowly his fogged mind remembered his crew coming to him, telling him about some girl they'd found unconscious in a barrel and who had scared the wits out of them by suddenly coming to and brandishing a gun… Eduardo and Russell came back with a story of saving some feisty hag from a couple of drunks and her darting off after kicking one in the crotch. The crew had been confused and concerned by these events and it was soon found out that the girl in the barrel and the feisty hag was one and the same. Not something even the Sirius Pirates saw everyday…

All they had come up with was that this girl was hiding from something… or someone and clearly did not want to be found. And since they needed to get going anyway, they decided to take the girl with them in case she was truly in trouble and needed to stay hidden. To keep matters simple, Morgan had her set up in his room. His crew was a slew of great and skilled men… but they were perverts… He was too, but he was the Captain so… that ended that conversation. As he watched the girl she became more agitated and frightened, most likely a nightmare, tears welled up and streaked down her face.

"Shh… Hey… hey, it's just a dream…" Morgan spoke awkwardly and pulled her closer; she shifted towards him as if listening to his words and buried her face and nose in to his bare chest breathing deeply. He reeked of booze, salt and sweat… but mostly the booze. He wasn't sure why but it seemed to calm her down, so he just held her until she calmed and fell deeper in to sleep. Christopher had checked her head wound, it was just a small bump nothing to really worry about she just needed some sleep and food to heal. He said she'd be fine by morning. A soft knock sounded from the door.

"Come in…" Morgan spoke softly and the whole crew came in, opening their mouths as they saw him without a shirt and the girl so close in his arms. He silenced them all with a gesture and a look and shook his head. All of them giving him an accusing and questioning look.

"No, I did not… It got hot so I took off my shirt and jacket. I'm still clothed and so is she… and she's still sleeping so keep quiet." Morgan whispered harshly at them. The crew gathered around and sat in various places in the room.

"Who do you think she is?" Nathan slightly curious but still keep his voice low.

"She's pretty, really pretty…" Thomas, of course the kid would notice that.

"She's a bit young to be out on her own..." Christopher, always the father figure...

"She's a feisty one… got a good kick too… The eye patch is a nice touch though. " Eduardo… then again he would like the eye patch and the fact she'd defended herself.

"Wonder why she wore that ugly disguise…" Russell, as he leaned over to get a better look.

Morgan hissed at all of them, "I said keep it down… you'll wake her up, she needs to rest."

Christopher stood and walked towards the bed. "I really should check under her eye patch… make sure she wasn't hurt there too, she got jumpy about it before. It might be causing her pain."

As soon as Christopher touched her eye patch the girl woke immediately. She jerked back seeing Morgan and Spartan kicked him in the stomach and chest with enough force to knock him out of the bed and knock the wind out of him before instinctively reaching under the pillow to draw a pistol… she drew one, but not her's, the Captains. Obviously she kept one in the same place where she stayed before, as she pointed and cocked it in Christopher's face.

"Whoa…. Easy kid… we're not going to hurt you… just trying to make sure you're not hurt." Christopher held his hands up in surrender and slowly backed away as the Captain stood.

"Seems she's just fine to me…. Hell of a kick there kid…" Morgan coughed and held his stomach. The girl quickly looked down to make sure she was dressed, her uncovered eye was fierce and focused her face twisted in a vicious form ready to jump and defend herself at the slightest movement.

"Hey now… easy girl… put that damn gun down before you end up with a bullet wound…" Eduardo moved to grab the gun, and the girl pulled the trigger out of reflex.

"WHOA!" The crew ducked, as the bullet flew across the room and shattered a window. Eduardo straightened in shock… No one had ever taken a shot at him before. And the girl hadn't missed by much. At least the gun was empty, but as the girl straightened up they saw her other hand held a dagger. Thomas was the brave or maybe foolish soul to face her this time. He was at least closer to her age. She might see him as less of a threat.

"Hey, easy...look let's start with where you are huh? This ship is the Sirius... The guy you just shot at is Eduardo, he helped you in the bar with those drunks... and the guy you just kicked is Captain Morgan... We found you dressed as a hag in a barrel. My name is Thomas... What's your name?"

The young kid moved and spoke slowly and calmly, his hands in front of him and clearly in her sight. He was careful not to make any move that might be seen as an attack. Thomas didn't get too close to her either, he wanted her to see he wasn't going to grab her or touch her. He just wanted to talk.

The girl slowly lowered her dagger as she sat up. Thomas's idea was working. He wasn't getting too close and wasn't registering as a threat. Though it made the crew even more concerned and convinced that this girl needed help. Her responses to them were quick and aggressive. Like she expected them to cause her harm, and for a girl that young, well that was bad enough but coupled with how they found her disguised as a hag... That just made it even worse.

Captain Morgan was sure now he'd made the right choice by taking her with them, she was clearly in trouble and on the run from something or worse someone. Being cautious was good, but not this was pure paranoia. That said a lot.

The girl looked at them all for a moment, sizing them up as a man might do. To the crew, that was even odder. Why was she so untrusting of men. True they were strangers and pirates but they weren't there to harm her, only to help her.

But she acted as if they'd come at her with guns and swords drawn and ready. Oh yes, this girl was in trouble and had a good reason to hide. What that reason was however remained a mystery.

After a few tense moments the girl seemed to calm down, she open her mouth only to croak at first as she tried to speak, but after she cleared her throat she was able to speak clearly in a light foreign accent.

"Hello Thomas... I am Crearwy La Fay..."

The girl moved off of the bed slowly and easily got her footing on the rocking ship. Some of the crew nodded in approval taking note that the girl had her sea legs, which added to the mystery but showed at least she wasn't hurt and would be able to move around on her own.

The girl was slightly shorter than Thomas, only by a few inches but she was also barefoot. She wore a young man's clothes, black trousers and dark shirt, and her boots were worn and in a box a few feet from the bed which held a hat, two scarves for her waist and head, her pistol additional shot and powder. She wore a bodice under her shirt that was only slightly visible until she straightened it along with her eye patch her dagger was still clutched tightly in her hand. Christopher spoke slowly to her as Thomas had done.

"Miss Crearwy I'm Christopher, I'm the doctor aboard the ship... I took care of your head; you hit it pretty hard while you were in the barrel. I need to check your eyes to make sure you didn't hurt them too." The doctor only took one step before Crearwy held the dagger up and pointed at him.

"I thank you for that. But my eye is fine... You'll leave my eye patch alone unless you want to lose a few fingers..." Crearwy snarled and stepped forward as if to make her point.

"Alright, alright..." Christopher nodded and backed off. The girl was as touchy about her eye patch as Eduardo was... And she was just as good with a gun. Best leave it be for now.

Slowly things calmed down and the rest of the crew introduced themselves. Nathan left shortly after too start on breakfast and the rest of them left the Captains rooms and headed out on deck.

They watched as the girl they found followed them shortly after once she'd dressed herself fully. She tucked a bit of her pitch black hair behind her ears, revealing that they were pierced one with a silver hoop and emerald and the other a larger golden hoop with a sapphire that matched her blue eye.

Her hat seemed a tad large and masculine for her but it stayed in place as she used red scarf around her head to make it fit more snugly. Her pistol hung on her right, dagger in her left boot. A second red scarf was tied like a belt around her waist as she seemed perfectly comfortable walking around on deck.

"What may I help with on the Sirius, Captain Morgan?"

Crearwy spoke calmly and respectfully as with the same rough tone that most sailors had after many years at sea. Her accent was still there but she truly sounded like a sailor. Captain Morgan looked at her with slight shock.

"Help with?"

"Aye, can't expect that you'd let me aboard you ship and do nothing... I am fully capable of pulling my weight. What needs to be done?"

Crearwy didn't even pause in her response. She knew how a ship worked; she'd lived on one most of her life from the time she was born until she was about 17 years old.

"I don't know of anything you could help with Miss Crearwy... The working of a ship..."

Crearwy cut him off with a scowl.

"Captain... Please do not insult me or yourself by insinuating that because I am not a man that I am ignorant of how a ship works. I am well versed in how to care for and work on one."

The crew paused and listened to the conversation. A woman who knew her way around a ship... Now this was interesting. Captain Morgan crossed his arms and turned to the girl.

"And how would you know that..."

Crearwy cleared her throat and spoke with a sense of deep pride and a small smirk on her face.

"My father was a sailor himself. Captain Crevan La Fay, built and sailed The Sapphira. I was conceived, born, and raised on that ship and like any member of the crew I was expected to pull my weight and lend hand to whatever I could."

Crearwy explained to the Captain with a proud gleam in her uncovered eye. Captain Morgan thought about this and smirked slightly. So the girl wanted to work as a crew member... This should prove entertaining. He smiled broadly and picked a task that even one of his own men would have a harder time doing, she wanted to prove her salt, well then let her prove it.

"Alright then... Go unfurl the main sails... We need to pick up some sped while the wind is still good."

"Aye Captain!" The girl eagerly responded and darted off to complete her task and climbed the rigging to get to the sail at the top of the main mast without pause.

The crew all gathered around and watched as the girl swiftly and nimbly climbed the netting and was soon on the top of the main mast. Crearwy had always loved unfurling the main mast, her father had hated it as it was too easy to slip off and fall to the deck.

This was probably why she loved it so much. Crearwy smiled and hummed softly to herself as she loosened and untied to knots and quickly moved towards the pulley and rope to lower it. The ship was hit by a size able wave and rocked a tad hard. Luckily Crearwy was used to the rough seas and easily kept her balance by crouching and staying still with both hands and feet on the mast.

Soon she was back to her task and just as quickly as any of the Sirius crew was sliding down with the sail and was back on deck to snap it in to place and tie it down tight, and back up to re check her work. It was perfectly done as she had been taught to do by her father and his crew. Crearwy nodded satisfied with her job and climbed back down and stood in front of the Captain and crew.

"Finished Captain. What else can I do to help?"

The Sirius crew stood in awe and shock... Well, the girl did know a few things about a ship. Captain stood speechless for a few moments earning some soft snickers from his crew as he scratched his head.

"Ugh... Well, go help Nathan with the cooking... Breakfast should be served soon."

"Aye sir." Crearwy nodded and set out to help the cook with breakfast.

"A girl who can sail...shoot, fight, and leave the Captain speechless... NOW I've seen everything..."

Russell snickered to the rest of the crew as they went about the rest of the ship. Miss Crearwy La Fay was a mystery indeed.

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Ok... ok... ok... I KNOW! I have been gone for a long time and I have stories that need attention... I apologize... but these damn plot bunnies are shrewd and fickle. I promise none of my stories are abandoned. I will finish them ASAP. I also do not know which way I'm going to go with this one, I'm winging it! So far the possible love interest ideas are :Eduardo or Alan... not sure which... but I will let you know. Enjoy my stories for now.


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